CRVA hiring PA agency to study DNC effects

The Democratic National Convention was projected to generate as much as $150 million for Charlotte. To find out exactly how much money the city made, several agencies announced plans Tuesday to pay an outside firm to conduct an economic impact study.

"I think they need to reevaluate doing it that way," said Doug Lutz. He made deliveries Uptown during the DNC, and said his own projection was that Charlotte didn't make as much money as expected.

"Charlotte has many fine CPAs and firms that could do [the economic impact study] just as as well, if not better," said Lutz. "And it would really put that money in local pockets instead of somebody else's."

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority said it wasn't sure exactly how much the study would cost the city. The report, which is being done by Pennsylvania-based Tourism Economics, was commissioned by CRVA, Charlotte Center City Partners, Charlotte Regional Partnership and Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce.

"We selected Tourism Economics, a leader in the industry, to give us an objective third-party assessment of the DNC's impact on Charlotte," said CRVA Spokeswoman Kimberly Meesters.

"We are in the process of finalizing the agreement now, so I don't have all the details yet on scope of work, cost, timeline, et cetera," Meesters added.

CRVA said Tourism Economics told it economic impact studies, like the one that will be done for the DNC, typically take a couple of months to complete.

Other people who work Uptown told us they were disappointed to hear the study was being outsourced just a week after Charlotte showed its capacity to handle a project as large as the DNC.